Toronto Symphony Orchestra CEO Mark Williams announced a historic gift from the Estate of H. Thomas and Mary Beck amounting to $14.7 million. The recent gift brings the total donated to the TSO from Thomas and Mary Beck, and subsequently their estate, to an unprecedented $50 million.
The announcement took place at the Annual General Meeting of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra on the afternoon of October 16. It’s the largest cumulative gift the orchestra has ever received.
As Williams announced, the gift contributed to the TSO’s 2023 fiscal year surplus.
Tom and Mary Beck
Tom and Mary Beck first began their involvement with the TSO shortly after arriving in Toronto from Europe as newlyweds. They became subscribers and donors. Tom served as TSO Board member for 22 years, and was Chair in the early 1980s.
Mary would host many musicians at the Beck home over the years, and was well known to the orchestra’s members. In 2008, the couple created the endowment for the Tom Beck Concertmaster Chair, and in 2015, Tom was made one of the TSO’s first honorary musicians. In 2020, Mary was named the Musicians’ Patron in perpetuity.
After Tom passed away in 2016, and Mary in 2018, their estate gave the TSO a $10-million gift, the largest ever at the time. The estate is managed by the couple’s children, Anthony, Catherine, and Liddy. Catherine is a member of the TSO Board of Directors as Chair.
“On behalf of my brother, my sister, and myself, I would like to express how deeply proud we are that the TSO’s Principal Oboe Chair and CEO position will be endowed in our family’s name, in addition to the Tom Beck Concertmaster Chair,” said Catherine Beck.
“It is a great privilege to continue my parents’ legacy of support. We strongly believe, as they did, that a fantastic city like Toronto deserves a fantastic orchestra — and the TSO is precisely that. Over the years, through its superb artistry, inspiring resilience, and profound impact, both inside and outside the concert hall, it has proven itself to be a strong and vital cultural leader worthy of recognition. We hope that, in playing our part, we may inspire others to similarly invest in the future of the institution that means so much to us and to this community.”
The Beck legacy
Funds from the couple and the Beck Family estate have been used judiciously by the TSO to support operations during a particularly critical time in the history of the performing arts. The funding has been used for touring, audience development, education and other functions, and ensures their support for years to come.
In recognition of the gift, the TSO has established two new endowments: the Cathy and Liddy Beck Principal Oboe Chair, and the Beck Family Chief Executive Officer.
“The Beck Family’s long-standing commitment to this city has been exemplified by their unwavering support of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and our mission to serve this community with extraordinary and meaningful musical experiences,” said Mark Williams in a statement.
“Their contributions to the TSO significantly amplify our reach and ability to bring music to Toronto’s diverse communities and to those who need it the most. I feel a deep sense of gratitude for the support of the Beck Family, whose exceptional generosity has now exceeded $50 million in donations in support of the TSO — the largest cumulative gift we have ever been given. Personally, I am honoured that, as a part of this legacy, I will be the inaugural Beck Family Chief Executive Officer of the TSO. The Beck Family has been incredibly generous in every conceivable way — our dearest friend and truest ally — and I deeply value the confidence that they have placed in the TSO to be a home for every Torontonian, for generations to come.”
“I know I speak for every musician in the orchestra when I say that the Beck Family is our family — they are our greatest champions and also very dear friends,” said Sarah Jeffrey, the inaugural holder of the Cathy and Liddy Beck Principal Oboe Chair. “Their enduring support has helped to strengthen us, both as an ensemble and as individuals, and their deep affection for classical music and the art of performance has always been felt and appreciated by all of us on stage. I am sincerely grateful to Cathy and Liddy, and I am incredibly proud to now occupy an orchestra chair named in their honour.”
An operating surplus
The TSO’s operations for the 2023 fiscal year (ending in June) resulted in a surplus of about $30K, due to the Beck Family’s generosity, as well as that of thousands of other supporters.
“Leading the Toronto Symphony Orchestra during its Centennial was, without question, one of the most magnificent experiences of my career to date,” said TSO Music Director Gustavo Gimeno.
“The 2022/23 season embodied the very philosophy that guides my programming — namely, that something wondrous occurs when the well-established and the thrillingly novel come together. Indeed, the most notable moments of our year-long celebration paid tribute to our storied past while simultaneously breaking new ground.”
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